Since the manner of presentation doesn't matter to you, the next time you make a mistake (and it will happen; you are not a computer), you'd be just as receptive to someone walking into your cube and yelling at the top of their lungs "YOU BLEW IT!" as you would to someone saying "Hey Matt...we need to talk"? I mean, it's all about the code, right? Before you call me out and say that that's not what merlyn did, yes...I know that. I'm exaggerating for a point.

As geeks, we'd like to think that the people skills are irrelevant...that we are just as emotionless as the computers that do our work for us. Fortunately or no, that's not the way the real world works. Being nice really doesn't cost any more, but it sure does pay back a lot more in rewards. Bottom line: being an ass in this day and age is almost a conscious decision.